Bake · American
Banana bread
Brown-spotted bananas, brown sugar, brown butter (if you're paying attention).
Banana bread is a moist, tender loaf that turns overripe bananas into something delicious. The riper and browner the bananas, the sweeter and more flavourful the bread. It is forgiving, easy, and a reliable bake for using up fruit past its best.
Ingredients
- 4 ripe bananas, mashed
- 120 g butter, melted
- 150 g brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 220 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 80 g walnuts, chopped
Method
- Heat oven to 170°C. Line a loaf tin.
- Whisk butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, bananas.
- Fold in flour, soda, cinnamon, salt. Stir in walnuts.
- Pour into tin. Bake until a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool 10 min in tin, then on a rack.
Tips
- Use very ripe, spotty bananas, as they are sweeter and mash more smoothly into the batter.
- Do not overmix once the flour goes in, since overworking makes the loaf tough.
- If the top browns before the centre is set, loosely tent it with foil for the last ten minutes.
Common questions
Can I use frozen bananas?
Yes, thaw them first and drain off some of the liquid. They mash easily and are often even sweeter than fresh.
Why is my banana bread dense?
Usually from overmixing or too much banana. Mix just until combined and measure your bananas so the batter is not too wet.